Book Review: Kingman History: 50 Stories of Kingman

Kingman History: 50 Stories of Kingman by Loren B. Wilson, publisher not given, 2007.  I found it at Kingman library.

Loren Wilson was a teacher in Kingman for 40 years, and a long term volunteer at the Mohave County Museum.  As such he tells many stories from Kingman and Mohave County.  These stories include 7000 planes at Kingman Airport at the end of WWII, the original airport in Kingman which extended form Airway and Banks to the current fairgrounds.  A story of two graves found in the Black Mountains which turned out being a Chinese woman and her mother.  The woman was traveling with her new African American husband to Nevada after celebrating her marriage in Cerbat.  They were traveling by wagon and their water barrel leaked.  The horses could not go further so the husband walked out to get help.  He returned too late and the the women had died.

The author tells many biographical sketches from early Kingman pioneers.  He talks of a plane crash on the railroad tracks in the early days of Kingman.  He also tells the story of an Amtrak derailment outside of town and of course the Doxol Fire which killed eleven volunteer firemen, and a few others, and injured many more.  

He has piqued my interest with archeological sites and other historical sites in the area.  This includes Native American items found in several spots, Petroglyphs, and the sites at Ft. Beale.  

He tells of Andy Devine, Edward Beale, the connection of Louis L' Amour to the area, Roy Purcell and many others.  He also tells of stories of several old buildings including the old hospital, the Red School and the Grammar School and Hotel Beale.  He also recounts Route 66.

I recommend this book for those interested in local history.

Brief History of Hyrum, Utah

Hyrum is a small community in the Southern part of Cache Valley, Utah.

History of Hyrum

            A party of pioneers lead by Ira Allen established a settlement in Hyrum in the spring of 1860.  They used logs and constructed 13 dugouts and one log home in a hill side where there was a water supply in the east bench.  Permanent settlement had come to Cache Valley the year before, with the initial settlement in 1856 in Wellsville.  This was abandoned for a time because of the Utah War. 

            Peter Maughn, church leader, visited Hyrum and suggested the community be moved to drier ground.  A fort type construction was made along the current main street.  This was with houses lining the street with windows and doors facing inward.  By the fall of 1860 there were over 120 residents at Fort Hyrum.

            After ground was plowed and crops put in, the next item of community business was establishing a canal for irrigation.  Using only a spirit level and shovels they brought water from the Little Bear River, a distance of nine miles, in 21 working days. (Allen et al.)

            Cache Valley was Shoshone Bannock country.  The Native Americans continued to hunt and live in this area after the settlers arrived.  The settlement was an encroachment upon their territory which they tolerated.  The general policy was to feed the Indians rather than fight them. Several different parties came through the area, gathering choke cherries, or hunting.  One time a group stole several horses.  A group of “Minutemen” from Hyrum were able to recover them.  Native American issues continued until the Bear River Massacre of 1863.  Colonel Patrick Connor led a group of 400 troops from Fort Douglas in Salt Lake and attacked the Indians in the northern part of Cache Valley.  After this the residents of Hyrum no longer had to live in the fort.